The Longest Dirt Road In the World

Posted on January 29, 2011January 29, 2011 by Dusty Roads

I believe this was the day after Mount Rushmore. Sandy had wanted to see some Native Americans and I suggested we take a drive to Badlands National Park. The White River Visitor Center is staffed by members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Looking at the Park Map it seemed that the visitor center we wanted was on the southern part of the park. Sandy had also discovered that she had left her souvenirs from Mount Rushmore in the gift shop and wanted to go back there to see if they still had them there. She had her receipt so I figured we could go to the visitor center and then back track to Mount Rushmore.

This was the first morning that we didn’t have a tour scheduled so we didn’t have to rush to get up. We decided a break from Jimmy Dean was in order and we walked over to the Perkins Restaurant next door for breakfast.

Southern End of the Badlands

After a leisurely meal we headed to the car and south to find the Visitor Center. It was a little confusing at first but eventually we arrived and true to the advertisement it was staffed by Native Americans.

The displays were wonderful and the staff great to talk with. They answered all of our questions. One of the staff said they were having a Pow Wow at Pine Ridge and suggested we go there next. We could see Wounded Knee at the same time as they were all in the same area. We just had to drive across the Pine Ridge Reservation.

I left Sandy to get directions and headed out to the car. I met another Native American Staffer on the way in. He stopped me and said “Snow tonight”. I laughed and said “ Oh no, I hope not!” he laughed too and just said “ Yes, snow.” Sandy and I laughed about the snow predication as we climbed into the car.

Sandy said to take a right onto a dirt road that ran right past the Visitor Center. We had learned that because the reservation is considered a sovereign nation , that they do not get federal funds to maintain roads or other infrastructure. Therefore almost all of the roads on the reservation are dirt. Still, this one seemed to be well maintained and graded so we set off at a fair clip.

Pronghorn racing through the field

As with everywhere we had been so far the scenery was just amazing and there was wildlife everywhere. This continued to amaze me because seeing wild animals out like this during the day just doesn’t happen in the northeast. Spotting a deer during the day is unusual in spite of road kill to the contrary.

Deer by the roadside

Now remember it had rained hard the night before. I’d had the pleasure of driving from Mount Rushmore to Rapid City in the dark and downpour. So Sandy and I are chatting as we drive along this dirt road when all of a sudden it was mud. The car swished about a little and I made note to watch more carefully for the puddles. Most of them didn’t look like much but looks are sometimes deceiving. Sure enough, we began to hit more and more muddy patches finally hitting the biggest mud puddle of all!

Muddy road

I tried to swerve around it but it covered the whole road and the car just slid sideways into the middle of that mess. Water flew everywhere and our white car wasn’t white anymore. There was even mud on the sunroof. With a little fish-tailing we were able to get ourselves out and on our way again but first I had to stop to laugh. It was the funniest thing that had happened the whole trip and it really tickled my funny bone.

Our muddy White car

I don’t know how long we drove but it seemed to be forever. I pretty much figured we’d gone in the wrong direction but we’d been driving for so long that I wasn’t going to back track. Sandy said the Staffers probably saw us drive off in the wrong direction and said something like “stupid white women”. Well after that mud bath that just hit me funny again so I had another laughing fit.

Just as we were joking about being lost on the reservation forever we bumped onto pavement. We drove through a small settlement and then saw a sign for one of the main roads. As we pulled onto it, Sandy said she wanted to get out and kiss the pavement. That set off another round of giggles.

Longest Dirt Road in The World

I did take a picture of the dirt road. It seems to go on forever. In additional to the road just going on and on, there’s nothing on it. There are no little villages or stores or gas stations or signs. You just drive. It must have been what the first settlers experienced when they began to cross the prairie.

I should mention too that we made it back to Mount Rushmore and Sandy went into the gift shop where she had made her purchase last night. She showed her receipt and they replaced her souvenir.

But we never did find the Pow Wow. Going to one is now on my bucket list for a return trip but we had a lot of fun driving the “Longest Dirt Road in the World”.

Next Post: Thunder Falls

Bad Notes = Confused Entries

Posted on January 28, 2011January 28, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Well I have hit a problem in my narrative. I must confess that my memory of the chronology of the trip is not sufficient to break the rest of the trip down into posts and keep the order from becoming confused.

My memory of the key points is like it was yesterday but don’t ask me what day yesterday was!

Sandy has traveled with me before and can tell you that I am diligent about keeping a journal while on vacation. This is because that before there were blogs there were scrapbooks. I would come home with all my little souvenirs, ticket stubs, receipts and pictures and organize them into a scrap book. I’ve learned that memory is faulty especially if you don’t get a chance to put it all together right away. So I developed the habit of writing down the day’s events each night before I went to bed while it was still fresh in my mind.

Up until now I had my normal detailed entries to work from but when I turned the page to see where we went the day after Mount Rushmore…there was nothing? I found some scribbled bullet points at the end of the week but the next few days are blank. I have tons of pictures from them so I will endeavor to spins some tales about the things we did but I do not know if I got the order right. Hopefully I will not forget anything too important.

So tomorrow I’ll start with the longest dirt road in the world (my title for it. Not any official title)

In the meantime I will leave you with some more animal pictures.

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Iron Mountain Road, Black Hills, South Dakota

Posted on January 26, 2011January 26, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Leaving the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary we made one brief stop at Crystal Falls and headed north to have our “official” Mount Rushmore experience as opposed to our “Accidental” visit when we first got here.

Crystal Falls, SD

As we approached Custer State Park we were treated to a majestic buck and his entourage. I pulled over and grabbed the camera. That buck wasn’t intimidated at all. In fact, as I came around the car to get a better angle he actually stepped forward, head up as if he were challenging me. He stood and stared while I took picture after picture before he turned and led his little band off.

Mule Deer Buck

Mule Deer

As I returned to the car I noticed for the first time that we had company. Other cars had pulled over to watch this brazen buck. As I returned to the car, the other cars pulled out and passed me. I collected their waves and thumbs up with pleasure.

Back in the car we soon came to the entrance to Custer State Park. Going left into the Park would take us on the Wildlife Loop Road that we toured with Dan and going right would take us up Iron Mountain Road to Mount Rushmore. So today it was a right turn for us.

Iron Mountain Road is part of RT 16A and The Norbeck Scenic Byway which also includes the Loop road and Needles Highway. The road climbs steeply up the mountain through one lane tunnels, be sure you honk your horn, over pigtail bridges and around horseshoe curves. The pigtail bridges are really interesting as they go over their own road so as we went over the bridge we could look down on the cars that were following us up the mountain.

The tunnels are lined up so that they frame Mount Rushmore and it’s tempting to stop for a photo op. I’m sure some people do but that day the traffic was very steady and it didn’t seem safe to stop. Needless to say, I have no pictures of this drive. I had both hands on the wheel and Sandy was white-knuckled in the passenger seat. She doesn’t like heights and this road was playing right into her worst phobias. I think anyone prone to car sickness should avoid this route too but I had a great timeJ We saw some RV’s trying it on for size and I suppose if your really careful and have good brakes that you’ll be fine but I wouldn’t do it. I’d leave the RV at home and rent a car for the day to make the drive.

At the top of the mountain is The Norbeck Observation Point. It has a well paved parking lot and rest rooms. There’s a trail down to an observation deck with awesome views. It was really cold up there on the mountain so we didn’t linger for too long. Besides, we had a date with 4 handsome men on a mountain.

I am adding 1 more picture to this post even though it’s more of an “aside”. As we headed to Iron Mountain Road we spotted a field with both antelope and deer. It was the first time I had noticed both together like that and all I could think of was the song Home Home on the Range and the line..”where the deer and the antelope play”. So I just wanted to share.

Where the deer and the Antelope play

For more information and and couple of photos of Iron Mountain Road, I have included a link. http://www.allblackhills.com/scenic_drives/iron_mountain_road.php

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Spanish Mares and Don Juan

Posted on January 25, 2011January 25, 2011 by Dusty Roads

We were headed off to another area of the Sanctuary where a band of Spanish mares and their stallion, Don Juan hang out. Krista told us that Don Juan was small but mighty, keeping a loyal band of followers in line.

She said the Spanish Horses all have bloodlines that go back to the horses brought to the New World by the Conquistadores which is how they got the name “Spanish”. They can be recognized because they all have distinctive markings on their legs similar to the stripes you see on Zebras. Some also have lines on their rumps similar to buckskin markings and many are dusky colored although that is not a color requirement.

Run Wild, Run Free

On the way we had the thrill of seeing a small band of horses doing what you dream of wild horses doing, running. Krista pulled over so I could get out and try for a picture. The horses were way out of range of my zoom but even so it is one of my favorite pictures right up there with the Prairie Dog with the flower. I am sharing the original which gives you some idea of the scale of the land and the cropped version that features the horses. I like both! What’s you favorite?

Race the wind

We stopped at one point so we could admire a beautiful dun colored mare that seemed to have all the markings Krista had been telling us about plus a little bird. Sometimes everything just comes together!

Mare & Bird Friend

If you look closely you can see the stripes on this mares rear legs.

Spanish Mare

We found Don Juan and his band of mares at one of the artificial watering stations that are set up around the sanctuary. Krista said they have tank trucks that make the rounds and fill the water tanks daily. The color segregation continued in this band too.

Don Juan's Band At the water trough

Best Friends

Don Juan

As you can see, Don Juan has the spanish markings too.

That wrapped up our tour and we headed back to the welcome center. In the process we drove by the spot we had seen the loose horse when we came in. It was gone so the wrangler must have rounded her up. Nearby a tiny Western Bluebird fluttered to a stop and I was lucky enough to get a picture. We heard the meadowlarks here too. It’s such a beautiful area.

Western Bluebird

Back at the parking lot I spotted a chicken coop but the chickens were different than any I’d ever seen. Loads of fluffy little chicks were running around.

Little balls of Fluff

There was also a coop of albino peacocks. Krista had pointed those out when we started out. I wasn’t interested then. I just wanted to see the horses so I said I’d get a picture later…but I forgot. So you’ll just have to take my word for it. Krista said they were mean anyway J

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Leaving the Sanctuary we turned our sight toward Mount Rushmore, the main reason for the trip. We would be driving Iron Mountain road to get there. That was fun!

　Interested? The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary can use our support. Check them out at www.wildmustangs.com

Native Americans, Petroglyphs and Birds

Posted on January 24, 2011January 24, 2011 by Dusty Roads

As we headed out to the next stop on Krista’s tour she told us we would be going by a sacred site that the Lakota were preparing for a Ghost Dance. She told us that most white people are not allowed to observe a Ghost Dance because parts of the ritual are very misunderstood. To be invited you have to be able to prove that you have a Native American bloodline. She said that when the sanctuary was created the Lakota was given the use of the land for their rituals and celebrations.

Lakota Prayer Pole

We could drive by and we could take pictures as we go by but we can’t stop. I got a picture of the prayer pole.

Soon we were pulling up in front of a huge cliff. Krista took us up to the cliff and pointed out the petroglyphs. She said one of the “glyphs” had paint on it so it would show up better so I took a picture of the blue paint spot hoping I would be able to see them once the picture was blown up.

Painted Petroglyph

Wall carving

There were “modern” petroglyphs too, better known as graffiti but as Krista pointed out some day they will be ancient too and if humans are still around, someone will be standing there marveling at these carvings from the mid 1900’s.

On this same cliff were swallow nests and you could see the little birds in them. I took lots of pictures of these little birds. I’ve never been this close to these mud nests before.

Swallow nests on cliff face

As we pulled onto the gravel road to head to the next stop we saw a little bird run in front of the car. Krista laughed and slowed down. She said it was a Killdeer and that it would race the car. I leaned out the window to take pictures of this little bird as it ran along side us. When it couldn’t keep up anymore it flew a few feet ahead of us and then started running along all over again.

Killdeer

Killdeer ready to race

We were headed over to see the Spanish Mares and their stallion Don Juan when we drove into a very active prairie dog town.

Prairie Dogs

I told Krista I’d seen lots of Prairie Dogs but had yet to get a “Really Good” picture. She said we had time to stop so pulled over to see if we could get lucky here. As if to prove that this was the best opportunity a little “dog” popped up on my side of the car with a flower in it’s mouth. Krista was yelling…”Look at that!…Did you get ? Did you get the shot?” and then he was gone back into his burrow. You be the judge…Did I get the shot?